Food guard systems, sometimes referred to as “sneeze guards,” are required by federal law for any cafeteria-style or self-service-style food establishment. Food guard systems are required to have a front glass panel, often referred to as a main viewing panel, that provides a barrier between the consumer and food that may be either directly accessed by the consumer, i.e. self service, or served to the consumer by an attendant, such as in a cafeteria. Therefore, in general, there are two types of food guard systems, namely, a self-service type of food guard system designed to allow consumers to serve themselves (buffet) and an attendant type of food guard system designed to allow an attendant to serve consumers (cafeteria). With food guard systems of the self-service type, an opening exists between the lower edge of the main viewing panel and the countertop to allow consumers to access food through the opening. With food guard systems of the attendant type, the main viewing panel extends over most or all of the vertical distance between the top panel of the food guard system and the countertop to eliminate the aforementioned opening. In other words, in an attendant-type food guard system, the main viewing panel separates the consumers from the food and an attendant who is located on the opposite side of the food guard system from the consumer serves the consumer.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical cafeteria style, or attendant-serve, food guard system known in the art. In the exemplary embodiment of a typical cafeteria style food guard system 100, a series of fixed panels, including a top panel 105, at least one side panel 110, and a main viewing panel 115 are fixed to a support structure 120. The panels operate to define an open backed space over a food service counter, or some other surface, such that consumers may view the food through the panels without having direct access to the same. The main viewing panel 115 in a typical embodiment of a cafeteria style food guard system, such as that depicted in FIG. 1, operates to define a plane that is substantially vertical and perpendicular to the food service counter. Further, the leading edge 115LE of the main viewing panel 115 is positioned such that the gap between the leading edge 115LE and the food service counter is minimized, thereby prohibiting consumer access to any food residing behind and under the system. Notably, when using a cafeteria style food guard system 100, food is accessed by an attendant through the open back of the space defined by the panels. The food is ultimately served by the attendant to the consumer by passing the food over the top panel 105 or around side panel 110.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical buffet style, or self-service, food guard system known in the art. In the exemplary embodiment of a typical buffet style food guard system 200, the main viewing panel 115 and top panel 105 previously described relative to a cafeteria style system 100 is effectively combined, function-wise, into a single main viewing panel 215. The main viewing panel 215 is shown in the exemplary embodiment as being fixed to a support structure 220 along with at least one side panel 210. Similar to the cafeteria style system 100, a typical buffet style system 200 operates to define an open backed space over a food service counter. Notably, the buffet style system 200 provides some protection to the food from airborne contaminants, as does the cafeteria style system 100, but the leading edge 215LE of the main viewing panel 215 is positioned well above the food service counter. Advantageously, when using a buffet style system 200, no attendant is required as consumers may directly access, i.e. self-serve, the food by reaching under the main viewing panel 215.
It should be noted that both the cafeteria style system 100 and the buffet style system 200 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 operate to place the leading edge 210LE of a side panel component in substantial alignment, or at least juxtaposed, with the leading edge 215LE or general plane defined by the main viewing panel 115, 215.
Moreover, because some food service establishments have a need for both self-service type and attendant type food guard systems, a convertible type of food guard system is now available in the market that can be converted from a self-service food guard system (buffet mode) into an attendant food guard system (cafeteria mode), and vice versa. A variety of convertible food guard systems are available in the market and the manner in which they convert from one type to the other varies depending on the manufacturer. In general, the main viewing panel of a convertible food guard system is rotationally or pivotally adjustable relative to an imaginary horizontal axis that passes through the panel. In the cafeteria mode, the main viewing panel is rotational or pivotal adjusted such that the lower edge of the main viewing panel is adjacent the countertop to prevent consumer access to the food. In the buffet mode, the main viewing panel is rotational or pivotal adjusted such that the lower edge of the main viewing panel is located a particular distance away from the countertop to provide the aforementioned opening that allows consumers to access the food through the opening.
In addition to the requirement to have a main viewing panel, food guard systems are also required to have vertical side panels disposed at opposite ends of the system. The vertical side panels are required to be fixed in place such that the food is guarded from uncontrolled consumer access. Therefore, typical food guard systems on the market today commonly feature fixed side panels. In such systems, if the particular food guard system is of the aforementioned convertible type, the fixed side panels are usually inadequate to provide full side coverage in both the cafeteria mode and in the buffet mode. The reason for this is that the lower edge of the main viewing panel extends farther out in the direction of the consumer when the system is in the buffet mode than when the system is in the cafeteria mode. Consequently, in such systems, the side panels may be operable to match the lower edge of the main viewing panel when in the cafeteria mode, but may not match the lower edge of the main viewing panel when in the buffet mode. Conversely, if the convertible food guard system is designed such that the side panels meet the lower edge of the main viewing panel when the system is in the buffet mode, the side panels are awkwardly and inconveniently extended beyond the lower edge of the main viewing panel when the system is converted to the cafeteria mode.
To complicate matters of side panel designs for convertible food guard systems, recently adopted standards dictate minimum overall panel dimensions that vary for self-service style and attendant style food guard systems. Furthermore, the standards also mandate that the forward-most edge of a side panel, whether on a self-service or cafeteria style system, must be positioned such that it meets the plane defined by the leading edge of the system's main viewing panel with a minimal gap. The lower edge of the main viewing panel is the leading edge when the system is in the buffet mode whereas the front surface of the main viewing panel is the leading edge when the system is in the cafeteria mode. Notably, these newly adopted standards present significant design problems for convertible food guard systems in that there are no existing solutions that enable the forward-most edges of the side panels to coincide with the leading edge of a main viewing panel in both the cafeteria mode and in the buffet mode.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a known convertible food guard system 300 having an adjustable main viewing panel 315 that may be positioned such that the system is operable in either a cafeteria mode or a buffet mode. In FIG. 3A, the convertible food guard system is shown in a cafeteria mode. As indicated above, a convertible food guard system generally provides the combined functionality of a cafeteria and buffet system in that the main viewing panel 315 can be positioned to affect either mode.
The convertible food guard system 300 has a series of fixed panels, including a top panel 305, at least one side panel 310, and an optional front panel 330, which are fixed to a support structure 320. The main viewing panel 315, however, is fixed to a hinge mechanism 325, or some other means of position adjustment, that is in turn anchored to the support structure 320. The panels, including the main viewing panel 315, operate together to define an open backed space over a food service counter, or some other surface, such that consumers may view the food through the panels without having direct access to the same, at least when the system is in cafeteria mode.
The main viewing panel 315, when the system is in the cafeteria mode, as is depicted in FIG. 3A, operates to define a plane that is substantially vertical and perpendicular to the food service counter. It should be noted that although the main viewing panel 315 is depicted as being substantially flat in structure, the main viewing panels of various types of food guard systems may be comprised of curved structures such that deformation of the panel is minimized when it is positioned in a plane that is substantially parallel to the ground.
With reference again to FIG. 3A, the leading edge 315LE of the main viewing panel 315 is positioned such that the gap between the leading edge 315LE and the food service counter is minimized, thereby prohibiting consumer access to any food residing behind and under the system. Further, the leading edge 310LE of the fixed side panel 310 is substantially aligned with the vertical plane defined by the main viewing panel 315 and front panel 330.
FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the convertible food guard system shown in FIG. 3A with the main viewing panel 315 of the system positioned in a buffet mode. In FIG. 3B, the main viewing panel 315 has been repositioned via adjustment of the hinge mechanism 325 to define a plane more closely in parallel to the plane defined by the food service countertop (not shown) on which the system 300 is mounted. In doing so, the leading edge 315LE of the main viewing panel 315 extends forward of the vertical plane previously defined by the main viewing panel 315 when in the cafeteria mode (FIG. 3A) and thereby operates to create a means by which consumers can reach under the main viewing panel 315 to access food (self-serve).
The convertible food guard system 300 depicted in FIGS. 3A and 3B is operable to be configured in either a cafeteria or buffet mode by way of positioning the hinged 325 main viewing panel 315. It is important to note, however, that the side panels 310 of the convertible food guard system 300 are fixed, either to a support structure 320 or to some other structure, such that the leading edge 310LE of the side panel does not align with the leading edge 315LE of the main viewing panel 315 when the system 300 is in buffet mode (FIG. 3B).
Accordingly, a need exists for a convertible food guard system having side panels that are capable of being positioned such that the prevailing industry standards are met regardless of the mode in which the system is being utilized.